Microsoft’s Bing search engine may replace Alphabet’s Google as the default search service on Samsung devices, according to The New York Times, which was reviewed by Al Arabiya.net.
The switch could cost Samsung nearly $3 billion in annual revenue for Google.
According to a Bloomberg report, Bing’s threat to Google search dominance has become more credible in recent months with the addition of OpenAI technology to provide ChatGPT-like responses to user inquiries.
After this news was revealed, “Alphabet” shares fell by 1% during pre-market trading in New York, while “Microsoft” shares rose by less than 1%.
Samsung shipped 261 million smartphones in 2022, according to IDC data, all running Android from Google. The Korean company has long-term partnerships with Microsoft and Google, and its devices come preloaded with a library of applications and services from both, such as OneDrive and Google Maps. Negotiations are still ongoing and Samsung may decide to keep Google as its default provider, according to the report.
Google is working on several projects to modernize and renew its search services to avoid losing market share. These include adding artificial intelligence features to its existing offering, under a project called “Magi,” a project that employs more than 160 people, The Times reported.
Google spokeswoman Lara Levin said in a statement that Google is excited to bring new AI-powered features to its search engine, and will share more details soon.
